The Indian Academy of Paediatrics, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation and sahidnagar Socio-Cultural Society have planned a unique park for the differently-abled children of the city to be built up approximately at a cost of Rs 3 crore on PPP mode.

As per national coordinator of IAP Disability Chapter Dr Arabinda Mohanty, the park is planned over an area of 17,000 sqf near the ESI Hospital and will provide an entertaining and amusing centre to over 700 spastic children in the city.

The proposed park will be far ahead of the parks in Mysore and Bilaspur (Chhatisgarh) in many aspects including it being 100 per cent disabled-friendly with merry-go-round provisions for children in wheel chairs and modern gadgets for amusement , besides physiotherapists, supporting staff and a standby ambulance.

Dr Mohanty said though the park will be meant for the wheelchair-bound children, normal children would also be allowed but only after they are sensitised to related issues. “Entry of normal children will help in mainstreaming of the spastics and in increasing the understanding of the normal children about spasticity,” he said.

Update: Jairam Ramesh has written to the the French ambassador regarding getting a digital copy of Jardine de Lorixa. Following is an excerpt from a report in inewsone.com.

Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh Thursday asked for help from the French envoy in India to get a digitised copy of a manuscript on plants in Orissa written by a Frenchman in 1725.

‘I have been told that the oldest document based on a scientific survey of plants in Orissa was written in the year 1725 by a Frenchman called Nikolas L. Empereur,’ said the letter to French Ambassador to India Jerome Bonnafont.

The document is currently available at the Natural History Museum in Paris.

‘I wonder whether we could get a digitized copy of this manuscript. Any expenses incurred in this regards will be borne by us,’ Ramesh said in the letter …

The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) proposes to develop a “bio-cultural park” on 10 acres here. It will be the first of its kind in the country.

… Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh said flowers associated with all religions and traditions of the country would find a place in the park.

Mr. Ramesh said: “Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has responded positively to make land available for the purpose. Within the next two-and-half years, you will have India’s first bio-cultural park. Cultural traditions are not Hindu tradition only. Cultural traditions such as tribal, Buddhist, Jain, Sikh, Islamic, and Christian would be followed while choosing species. The bio-cultural park will not just be a monument of flowers, but also will be reflective of our divergent cultural traditions.”

Thje MoEF would develop the park and then hand over it over to the State government. The idea was to draw strength from Indian culture for the cause of conservation of bio-resources. Traditionally, biological sources were being conserved in the form of sacred grooves, ‘nakshatravanams,’ ‘navagraha vatika,’ concept of panchvati and use of timber from ecologically important species for religious purposes.

the Ministry would make efforts to get a digital copy of Jardin de Lorixa, considered to be the earliest scientific documentation of traditional/ indigenous knowledge about plants of Orissa, of which only one manuscript is available in Natural History Museum Paris (France).

From http://www.conservationandsociety.org: "a long forgotten herbal known as Le Jardin de Lorixa ( The garden of Orissa ) and credited to a surgeon named Nicolas L’Empereur in the employ of the French Compagnie des Indes"

Update2: Following is from a Pioneer report about Medicinal Plant’s garden in Patrapada.

At the Patrapada Medicinal Plants’ Garden, presently consisting of 50 species of bamboo trees, another 100 species of bamboos from across the globe will be planted.

CM Naveen Patnaik planted a Budha Belly bamboo sapling at the garden on Tuesday. He advised the high authorities of the Forest Department to develop the garden so that it can attract even international visitors.

It may be mentioned here that the garden is constructed over a land of 150 acres.

INDIRA GANDHI PARK(The old parade ground in front of the Secretariat and assembly)

Indira Gandhi Park was developed over an area of 10.60 acres of land. It is centrally located infront of Orissa Secretariat and State Assembly. Indira Gandhi Park was previously the parade ground of Bhubaneswar city, and is the place where Late Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi delivered her last public speech on 30th October, 1984. The park was dedicated to the public with a statue of Smt. Indira Gandhi designed and sculptured by Russian sculptor Mr. Dimitry Ryebachev and Alexander Ryebachev.

BIJU PATTNAIK PARK (Earlier called Forest Park)

Biju Pattnaik park is located in front of Capital Hospital , Unit – 6. Biju Pattnaik park has a lot of forest species, ornamental trees, flowering and foliage shrubs with a view to provide a forest in the centre of the city. A statue of one of the greatest leaders of Orissa and former Chief Minister Late Biju Pattnaik was unveiled in the park on 5th March, 2002 by Sri Naveen Patnaik, Hon’ble Chief Minister, Orissa and the then Union Minister Steel & Mines Sj. Ram Vilas Paswan on theauspicious occasion of Biju Pattnaik Jayanti. The park covers an area of 22.00 Ac. Of land. Multiple jogging track, colourful fountain, children play corners, rosarium, rockeries etc are the main attractions of the park.

MAHATMA GANDHI PARK (Just north of Swosti Plaza hotel)

Mahatma Gandhi park has been developed by Bhubaneswar Development Authority on a part of 27.00 Ac of Janta Maidan. The park has landscape lawn, rockeries, fountain & stream jogging track, lighting system etc. The statue of Mahatma Gandhi sitting in the prayer position is very attractive and a number of visitors coming to Bhubaneswar pay their homage to the Father of the Nation.

After Kalinga War Buddhisim in Orissa took a new dimension in propagating various aspects of Buddhism for human development. In view of this Bhubaneswar occupies a special position in the history of Buddhism in entire Asia . To up-keep this great history of Bhubaneswar, Bhubaneswar Development Authority has developed Buddha Jayanti Park at Chandra Sekhar Pur over an area of 44.00 Ac. The park is located at a high elevation & one side of the park is the boundary of Chandaka natural Forest . A part of the park is developed with lake, plantation, Buddha Stupa, pathways, host of trees & shrubs etc. The park was inaugurated by Shri Naveen Pattnaik, Hon’ble Chief Minister, Orissa on 5th May, 2001 with a vision to make the park a tourist place.

The Government of Orissa has taken a decision to develop a park around Dhauli Peace Pagoda to spread the message of peace & tranquility to mankind. The Orissa Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC) has entrusted the work to BDA for which funds have already been sanctioned. The “Heritage Wall” that is proposed to be constructed around the Peace Pagoda will showcase the rich art & craft of Orissa apart from imparting beauty to the structure and preventing trespassing. A number of medicinal plants, flowering trees, shrubs including saplings of foliage will be planted around the park. An amphitheatre will run programmes to attract tourists and visitors. Provision for parking of vehicles, rest rooms, cafeteria etc. will be provided for the convenience of visitors.

Guru Kelucharan Park
It will be developed at Gadakana over an area of 21.00 Ac (approx). Conceptual drawing and other preliminary ground work have been completed for the project.

Horticulture Wing in Bhubaneswar Development Authority has started functioning from April, 1987. The Wing has developed and maintaining 51 nos. of parks & open spaces in and around Bhubaneswar City , Khurda & Jatni. The major parks are:

Indira Gandhi park

Bijupattnaik park

Dr. Shyamprasad Mukharjee park

Jawaharlal Neheru park

Jayaprakash Narayan park

Mahatma Gandhi park

Buddha Jayanti park

Kharvela park

Netaji Subash Bose park and

Panchasakha parks at M.L.A Colony

In addition to these there are colony parks like:

N-1 park, Nayapalli

N-2 park (Raju Bhaya park), Nayapalli,

N-3 park, Nayapalli

Pallashpalli park

Kapilprasad park

BJB Nagara parks

Sahid Nagar parks

Bhoinagar park and

Baramunda H.B Colony park are also developed by BDA

The parks provided with garden lighting system are open to public in the evening, they are:

Dr. Shyamprasad Mukharjee park,

Buddha Jayanti park

Bijupattnaik park

Panchasakha Park

Indira Gandhi park

N-1 park, Nayapalli

N-2 park(Raju Bhaya park), Nayapalli

N-3 park,Nayapalli

Indradhanu Market park

Netaji park and

Mahatma Gandhi park

All these parks are opened to public from 4.00 PM to 8.00 PM & 5.00 AM to 8.00 AM. These parks are provided with pathways, jogging track, benches etc. to facilitate morning & evening visitors, Bijupattnaik park, N-2 park, Nayapalli and Kudiary park at Jatni are also provided with children play equipiments. All these parks are beautifully created parks with landscape lawn, shrubbery, flower beds, trees, rosarium, hedges, water bodies, sprinkler system and two parks have Sulabha Souchalaya & public convenience. At Indira Gandhi park & Bijupattnaik park visitors can park their vehicle by paying usual parking fee.

Horticulture Wing also give permission for commercial shooting at different parks @ Rs. 2000/- per day. BDA has also developed a large public meeting place at Janta Maidan in front of NALCO Head Office at Chandrasekharpur over an area of about 22.00 Ac. The ground rent for booking of Janta Maidan to hold any public meetings/ conference, exhibition is Rs. 15,000/- (Rupees fifteen thousand) only per day for the entire field. Organisations can also book Maidan big patch @ Rs10,000/- per day & small patch @ Rs. 5,000/- per day.

BDA Horticulture Wing has also developed a nursery at Laxmisagar, Bhubaneswar where a number of seasonal plants, sapplings are propagated. The annual production capacity of nursery is about 50,000 sapplings of different trees, shrubs, forest species etc. Seasonal saplings are produced more than two lakhs per annunm. Sapplings are sold to the public at very reasonable price. During monsoon, sapplings are also provided to NGOs, Residential Welfare Associations, Municipalities, public and private institutions, Schools and Colleges etc. at free of cost with prior approval of authority.